Is corporate social responsibility the privilege of developed market economies? Some evidence from Central and Eastern Europe

Developed market economies show a growing interest in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), attested by the sizeable theoretical and empirical literature on this issue. There is, however, less evidence of its existence in other geographical areas. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework for the study of this phenomenon in Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC). This will be followed by an analysis of qualitative data obtained during semi-structured interviews with the representatives of 19 companies operating in four CEEC (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria). The paper concludes that CSR should not be considered as the privilege of developed market economies, since a variety of responsible practices do exist in CEEC organizations. However, the study of their specificity appears to be more complex than an approach in terms either of a transposition of models or of legacy would lead us to believe. An evolutionary approach to institutions allows us to consider that the analysis of the CSR forms in the context of transition economies should take into account interactions between elements dependent on the past as well as imported standards and practices which have themselves been subject to change.